Which cerebral palsy type is most commonly associated with prematurity and periventricular leukomalacia?

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Multiple Choice

Which cerebral palsy type is most commonly associated with prematurity and periventricular leukomalacia?

Prematurity often leads to periventricular leukomalacia, a white-matter injury around the brain’s ventricles. This injury disrupts the corticospinal tracts as they pass near the ventricles, and the fibers controlling the legs are affected more than those for the arms. The result is spastic diplegia, where leg involvement is predominant while upper limbs are relatively less affected. In contrast, hemiplegia usually comes from a focal lesion in one hemisphere, quadriplegia from more diffuse brain injury, and spastic cerebral palsy is a broad category that includes several patterns, with diplegia being the classic association for prematurity with PVL.

Prematurity often leads to periventricular leukomalacia, a white-matter injury around the brain’s ventricles. This injury disrupts the corticospinal tracts as they pass near the ventricles, and the fibers controlling the legs are affected more than those for the arms. The result is spastic diplegia, where leg involvement is predominant while upper limbs are relatively less affected. In contrast, hemiplegia usually comes from a focal lesion in one hemisphere, quadriplegia from more diffuse brain injury, and spastic cerebral palsy is a broad category that includes several patterns, with diplegia being the classic association for prematurity with PVL.

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